The shortlist of 15 high potential start-ups for the ESB Spark of Genius Award has been revealed.

The shirtlisted companies from areas as diverse as beauty apps, video platforms and data analytics services were selected from 175 entries and will go forward to pitch to a judging panel on 16 September at Web Summit HQ in Dublin. From there, the top three will proceed to the final pitching session at the Web Summit in November, where they will compete for a top prize of €25,000.

Mary Collins, the ESB’s competition judge and partner in Greencoat Capital, said: “It was a challenge to reduce the shortlist to just 15 as the entries were of a very high standard, which highlights the great innovation and entrepreneurship happening in Ireland at the moment. ESB is honoured to support the growth of Irish entrepreneurs and very proud of the success of previous winners of this competition. We wish every competing company the best of luck in the next round.”

Open to any Irish start-up which has been in operation for less than three years and has received under €1 million in funding to date, the companies shortlisted for the ESB Spark of Genius Award will be judged on the uniqueness of their idea, their level of development thus far, and their potential for future growth.